City of Elkhart denies deadly crash responsibility

(Photos supplied/Elkhart County Jail)

The City of Elkhart is denying any responsibility for a 2017 hit-and-run crash that killed two children and a man who were walking on a sidewalk.

The lawsuit by two injured pedestrians and the families of those killed claimed Elkhart officials didn’t properly maintain the sidewalk and were aware vehicles had jumped the curb in the area.

The Elkhart Truth reports city lawyers denied in court documents that officials knew about vehicles failing to negotiate a lane reduction at the intersection. They also argue the city is immune from the lawsuit because the crash happened at least 20 years after the roadway was redesigned.

Leonard Grosswiler has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and obstruction of justice.